Richard F. Colburn

If the longstanding rumors are true and Gov. Martin O’Malley really does have his sights set on a presidential nomination, the 2013 legislative session could go a long way toward solidifying his liberal qualifications for a Democratic primary...

The governor's bill to repeal Maryland's death penalty survived a key vote Friday in the state Senate. After an emotional debate, senators voted 27-19 to defeat an amendment that would have kept capital punishment for murders committed along with other...

The Senate paused its debate of a bill that would make Maryland the 18th state in the nation to eliminate the death penalty after advocates of repeal won a key test vote.  Senators voted 27-19 Friday to reject an amendment that would have created an...

The Maryland Senate gave its answer to the old question of "what do you with a drunken sailor" by voting to bring people who operate sailboats while intoxicated under the same law as power boat operators. Senators voted 37-8 to add sail-only vessels...

If you were choosing an official Maryland sandwich based on popularity, there'd be no contest. The crab cake would beat the soft-shell crab sandwich every time. So, if the General Assembly enacts a bill this session that makes the soft-shell crab...

Gov. Martin O’Malley urged the General Assembly on Wednesday to approve an unabashedly liberal agenda that includes repeal of the state’s death penalty, new curbs on guns and spending for construction projects that create jobs. Asking...

In politics it's often said that what goes around comes around. Del. Kathy Szeliga better hope that isn't always true. The Harford County lawmaker is known for her caustic and sometimes witty emails to constituents and reporters. But her most recent...

The Maryland Senate passed Gov.Martin O'Malley's gambling expansion bill on a 28-14 vote Friday, sending the legislation to a more closely divided House of Delegates when the General Assembly's special session continues Monday. Approval came in the early...

Determined to avoid deep cuts to state spending, a Senate committee voted Thursday to approve an increase of roughly one-quarter of a percent in Maryland's income tax rate and to shift part of the state's teacher pension costs to the counties, though at a...

Kathie Jones loses more than patience when the mail is late. She also loses customers. As the owner of a small business that prepares bulk mail for delivery by the U.S. Postal Service, Jones hears complaints every time a church newsletter or a...

Gov. Martin O'Malley has revived a simmering political dispute over the University of Maryland law school's role in a lawsuit accusing an Eastern Shore farm and the Perdue poultry company of polluting a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. In a letter that...

Baltimore County senators rebuffed an effort to abolish Maryland's death penalty yesterday, persuading lawmakers instead to restrict when capital punishment can be used. The Senate's first full debate on the death penalty in more than three decades was...